Driven plate for friction clutches



Oct- 14; 1952 F. 'CRUTCHLEY DRIVEN PLATE FOR FRICTION CLUTCHES Filed April 19, 1946 ag giiazm I F ecierz'c/E Fuz 04%; E Z w -1- Patented Oct. 14, 1952 I 2,613,515 DRIVEN PLATE ron Fmc'no CLUTCHES Frederick Crutchley, Leamington Spa, England,

assignmto Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 19, 1946, Serial No. 663,329 In Great Britain April 20, 1945 g 4 Claims. 1

hub member, the annular member being 'arranged to be frictionally gripped at its outer part between a driving member and a pressure plate rotatable therewith, these parts forming the driving portion of the clutch.

According to the invention, in a clutch driven plate of the kind referred to, having the annular member movable relative to the hub member in the plane of the'annular member and adapted for limited tilting movement relative to the hub member, an intermediate member is restrained against one of said movements with respect to one member and against the other of said movements with respect to the. other member, so that each of said movements takes place between the intermediate member and only one of said first mentioned members.

According to one aspect of the invention a clutch driven plate of the kind referred to comprises between the hub member and the annular member, an intermediate member arranged for tilting movement relative to the hub member and for radial and circumferential sliding movement relative to the annular membe and resilient means acting between the annular member and the hub member to urge them towards a predetermined relative position.

The annular member may comprise two interconnected discs disposed one on each side of a flange of the hub member, and the intermediate member may comprise a pair of rings locatedone between each of the said discs and the flange, the said rings being restrained against radial'and circumferential movement relative to the hub flange, and having frictional engagement with the discs.

The rings may be spaced apart to a distance greater than the thickness of the hub flan e by spacing members slidable in a circumferential series of apertures extending through the hub flange, and the spacing members may be balls having a diameter greater than the thickness of the flange.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of clutch driven plate according to the invention:

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a section, similar to the central part of Figure 2, but drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, theclutch plate comprises a hub III formed with a radial flange I I, and splined internally at I2 so that it may be mounted for sliding movement'but not for rotation upon a driven shaft, a pair of metal discs I3 and I4 disposed .one on each side of the hub flange-ll, and radially-projecting members I5 riveted to the disc I3 to support friction facings I6 and Il. The members I5 areresilient, and are bent along radial lines to space the facings I6 and I1 apart, the said members being flattened when the plate is gripped between the driving member and the pressure plate to, provide a grad-- ual take-up of the drive. a a Thetwo discs I3 and are secured together, by shouldered rivets I8: lying-in notches'l9 in the edge or the hub flange I I, s'o'that they limit the relative angular movement of th'e hub and discs. -A* circumferential series of substantially rectangula'r openings 20 are cut in the hub'flange and discs, and coil springs 2I'are mo'unted in the openings with their axes tangential to-acircle about the clutch centre. The springs 2| are-retained inposition'by wires 22 on each sideof the assembly, the wires 22 passing-through the springs and being clamped inpositionfattheir ends, as described in- British patent specification' No. 369,810. The springs 2| are compressed by any relative angular movement of "the hub and discs, between one'end of the openings in the hub flange and the other end of the openings in'the discs, and'so serve to absorb vibrations and irregularities of torque passing through the clutch.

' The hub flange I I is formed, ne'arit's root, with six circular holes equally ang-ularly spaced and extending through it in an axial direction, and in alternate holes 23 are located three balls 24 which are a sliding fit therein, the diameter of the balls being greater than the thickness of the flange I I. A pair of rings 25-25 of thin sheet steel surround the-hub one on each side of the flange II, extending radially outwardly to just beyond the balls 24, and these rings 2525 are restrained against radial and circumferential movement on the hubby inturned nibs 26 entering, and fitting closely in, the intermediate holes 21 in the flange II. Against the outer face of each ring 25 is a ring 30 of shim steel, and the appropriate disc I3 or I4 of the annular member rests against the shim steel ring 30. The radially inner portion 3| of each disc I3 or I4 is displaced outwardly from the general plane of the disc to provide a space in which the rings 25-45 and the shim steel rings 30-30 are accommodated, and the length of the shouldered rivets I8 securing the discs I3 and it together is such that the 3 discs are clamped tightly against the shim steel rings 30-40, the latter in turn being held tightly against rings 2525, so that there is appreciable frictional resistance to relative sliding movement of the annular member (the discs l3-I4) and the intermediate, member (the ringsZS-fi) The central apertures in the" discs 13- and in the shim steel rings 3030 are large enough to allow these parts to move to an eccentric position on.

the hub I0. It will be seen that. the discs l3 and I4 are spaced apart by the rivets I 8 to a distance greater than the thickness of. thexhub fiange H eifective to space said rings apart a distance and there is a gap .1: betweenthe hub: surface. and wthe inner edges of the discs and rings. The balls 24, which are free to move in the direction of the thickness of the flange, have diameters greater than the thickness of the hub flange ll, so that the assembled structure (including the" discs I 3,

I4, the rings 25, 25, the: shim steel rings 30, 30 andthe friction facings l8 and I1), is only loosely mounted; on the. hub, .v and can tilt asv a whole with relationto. the hub-to acertainextentr This is shown indottedlinesonFig. 2. The maximum degree of tilt on'the. balls is limited by; the: total clearance between the peripheral. edge ofv thehub flange II- and. the. discs l3 and. I4 since, in the extremetilted position, one. disc [3 or It may engagethe. edge; of the hubflange at one; point, andtheother-of said discs may-engagethe edge of the. hub flange at adiameterically opposite point.

As has already been. explained,. the coil. springs 2| located in the openings. in: the hub. flange l l and, discs, I 3-4 4 tend. to; resist relative rotational movement of these; parts; and; it will be appreciated that they also tend to resist relative radial movement, since one or:- more of. themare always compressed by such movement. Therfricitional drag between the. discs [3 and H of the annular member and the rings25 compris n the: intermediate member; tends: to damp these movements.

While the inventionhas been. described inideitail'in its present preferred form orembodiment, it will be apparent topersonszskilledin the art, after understanding, theimprovements, that-var ious changes and modifications may: be made therein withoutdeparting from-the. spirit or'scope thereof; It is aimed in the appendedclaimsz-to' cover. all. such changes. andmodiflcationst.

The clutch driven plate according, to. therinvention provides the well-knowndamping;oi the angular vibrations, and also. permitsslight'radial displacement of the annular member withrespect to the hub member.. and slight. relative: tilting of these parts.

WhatlI claim is:

1. A clutch driven plate comprisinggahub memeber. having an apertured radial flange; a radially extending. annular member;

side of saidhub flange, and. said intermediate an; intermediate member between the saidhub member and said greater than the thickness of said hub flange.

' 2*. A elutchdriven' plate comprising a hub member having a radialflange with a plurality of seats; a. radially extending annular member; an

intermediate; member between the said hub member and said annular member, said annular membefcomprisingtwo'interconnected discs disposed one on each side of said hub flange, and said intermediate member comprising a pair of rings located one between each of the said discs and hub flange and having frictional engagement with said discs; and inturned projections on said rings engaged with said seats whereby said rings are restrained against radial and circumferential movement relative to said hub flange.

V 3; A clutch driven plate as defined in claim 2 wherein the hub flange has'aperture's; and spherical' members slidably mounted in said apertures and having diameters greater than the thickness of said flange, said spherical members extending beyond the side surfacesof'said'fiange and being engaged with the rings'to space said rings axially from said flange and loosely mount the plate structureon the hub for'l'imited tilting movement with respect to. said hub.

4i A clutch driven plate comprising a flanged hub unit having" pockets; rings on said hub next said flange; balls mounted in certain of the said pockets and spacing said rings from'said flange for tilting movement with respect to said hub unit; annular members alongside said rings and tiltable with said rings on saidballs; means connecting said annular members and hub unit for rotation in-unisonand for effecting limited rotation' of' said" annular members relative to said hub units; and inturned tangs on said rings entered in other pockets of said hub unit for drivingl'y'connectin'g saidrings to said hub unit.

- FREDERICK CRUTCHLEYL REFERENCES CITED" The" following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 590,446; Great Britain July 17,1947 

